One Weekend
by Eraserhead
Summary: It has been about three or four years since the events in The Mindy Project and both Mindy and Danny are still single. When her worldly friend Alex unexpectedly cancels, Mindy is stuck on a weekend trip in upstate New York with three sets of couples. Feeling like a seventh wheel, she calls Danny to pick her up in desperation.
1. Chapter 1: Country Weekend

All the fabulous Mindy/Danny fanfic here had inspired me to write one of my own.

Summary: It has been about three or four years since the events in _The Mindy Project_ and both Mindy and Danny are still single. When her worldly friend Alex unexpectedly cancels, Mindy is stuck on a weekend trip in upstate New York with three sets of couples. Feeling like a seventh wheel, she calls Danny to pick her up in desperation.

Note: I imagine the horribly awkward dinner in _Bridget Jones's Diary _where Bridget goes to that couples dinner and everyone asks her what it's like to be thirty-something and single.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Country Weekend**

Mindy could not believe she was doing what she was about to do.

"Come watch this French drama that Carl just got on DVD with us," Gwen called out from the front porch of the home.

Mindy held up her index finger to let Gwen know she was on the phone. As she stood in a small clearing of perfectly manicured shrubs at Carl and Gwen's country home, Mindy quickly pressed dial and held her breath.

He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Danny," Mindy said in a whispered rush, "I know it's Saturday and this is when you schedule your cesareans but could you please please please come pick me up in New Paltz? I know it's a lot to ask, but the next Amtrak doesn't come until Monday morning and I don't think I can stand being around these people anymore!" Her voice had risen to an alarming pitch and she told herself to lower her voice lest Gwen or one of the other guests should hear.

She heard Danny sigh. "I thought this was your 'awesome outdoors country' weekend?" he asked. "You've been talking about it at the office for weeks now." He was at home without any scheduled appointments today and was looking forward to a productive weekend of running errands, grocery shopping, and doing laundry. He had his whole weekend planned out meticulously and thought about how picking up car from the parking garage, driving hours upstate, and bringing chatterbox Mindy back into the city would eat up most of his weekend. Maybe he would have a couple of hours of peace on Sunday. He stopped when he realized he was already trying to plan around doing this favor for her.

Mindy thought back to last night's conversation where everyone went around talking about how they had met their significant others, how the dinner table got silent when it was her turn to speak, and how everyone laughed pityingly when she made a lame joke about her awesome sex life. She shook her head to rid the image. "Danny, please. Alex bailed on me and now I'm the only one here who isn't married or in a serious relationship!" She looked around to make sure no one was within earshot, "If I hear one more, quote-unquote, joke about being a wealthy spinster in the city, I'm going to have a meltdown!"

Danny looked around at his hamper full of dirty laundry and knew he should not have picked up the call. "Mindy, New Paltz is hours away and I could have a delivery tonight -"

Mindy interrupted quickly. "You said 'could' so that means that you don't have any scheduled tonight." She heard him inhale sharply. "I knew it! You are a terrible liar!" She could hear him protesting on the other end. "Danny, please, I'm feeling emotionally battered here. I feel like a complete loser. I'm 35 and all alone. Alex, who's my only other single friend, ditched me to go on a last-minute romantic European getaway with her new lover Giuseppe and now it's just me and three other couples. My god, some of these people have been together forever, Dinah and Mitch have been together since college." Mindy took a deep breath, "Oh god, I'm going to be sick." She hunched over so that her head was between, or almost between, her knees. "I bet Alex is having tons of hot sex on the French Riviera while I'm out here in the wilderness having a psychotic episode." She moaned sadly as she sat in the cold grass.

"Okay, I'll come and get you," Danny said slowly. Mindy was a good friend. Ever since her disastrous Christmas party a couple of years ago, they made it a habit to grab lunch together whenever their schedules allowed. They also shared cabs to the hospital and subway rides home after work. They even wrote an article together for the American Medical Journal on how to care for a premature infant post-discharge from the hospital. He genuinely liked working with her. However, she always asked for his advice even though he halfheartedly let her know that he was uninterested in her love life or her social life in general. He begrudgingly admitted that he mostly enjoyed her company and that she kept him from becoming a total recluse by dragging him out to mutual social gatherings. She usually pushed him to go talk to pretty women at the party, conference, or, once, a wedding of a colleague they were attending at the time.

Mindy sat up quickly, "Danny, are you serious? Thank you thank you thank you." She could imagine him now, checking his watch to try and figure out how long it would take to get up here. She could not help smiling at how he was probably grumpy that he had to change his precious Saturday plans, but he was still kind enough to actually drive six hours just to pick her up because she had asked. She could feel her eyes welling up at the thought.

Danny had heard that line countless times before. It seemed that he was always doing favors for her, in one way or another. He honestly did not mind the driving part since he had gotten himself a small SUV a couple of months ago, but the pain of having to take the train to go to get his car from the garage was going to be a awful. He also hated driving out of the city, which was a traffic nightmare. "I got to go if I'm going to get my car, but I won't be up there until late in the evening. Is that okay?"

"Danny, I'm forever in your debt," Mindy sniffled. "I'll buy you slices forever and I'll get you two, no three, beautiful orchids as a thank you." She heard Gwen call from the porch that Carl was starting the DVD. "I mean it. I really appreciate this." She waved Gwen off and watched as Gwen shook her head and went back into the house.

Danny could tell that she was crying or at least on the verge of tears. This woman could cry for absolutely no reason. "Just stop crying and I'll see you when I get there. And no more orchids, I'm serious this time. There are too many and I hate taking them on the train with me."

Mindy smiled as she headed into the house. She did not even mind that she would have to read subtitles. She was overcome with relief. "I'll see you soon and thank you thank you thank -"

Danny cut her off as he hung up. He looked at his hamper once more before heading out the door to get his car and sighed. "The things I do for friendship," he muttered to himself.

xxx

Danny slowly drove up the long and winding driveway to Gwen and Carl's. It was almost seven o'clock and he needed to pee since he had not stopped during the whole six hour drive. The place was huge. The house was made to look like a rustic cabin, but Danny could already tell that the interior would be impeccably furnished and that there was probably a guest house twice the size of his childhood home by the lake.

He heard Mindy even before he saw her. He had called to let her know he was 15 minutes away and she had probably come outside to wait for his arrival. She was arguing with Gwen.

"Danny!" she called as she ran to open his door. "Gwen would like you to also spend the weekend with us, but I told her that we should go as soon as possible. Isn't that right?"

"Yes," Gwen called from further up the driveway, "You should stay, Danny. You're always welcome, especially since you drove all this way just to get Mindy. Have some dinner and wine, maybe watch a movie."

Mindy whipped around so fast that Danny was slapped in the face by errant strands of her long hair. "We should go as soon as possible," she said to Danny in a hurried whisper. "I know I sound super ungrateful, Gwen," she said in a louder tone, "but I think I need to check on one of my patients."

Gwen crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You said you cleared your schedule for this!" Danny looked between the two women and held his tongue. "Besides, it's supposed to snow tonight and Danny's had a long day of driving," Gwen added.

Mindy looked over at Danny for support. "It's up to you, Min," he said when he realized both women were looking at him for an answer. "If you give me a second to pee, we can leave right away." He noticed how both Mindy and Gwen's eyes softened and he felt himself crossing his arms and awkwardly hunching his shoulders. "Doesn't matter to me," he grumbled, "you would be driving, of course."

Mindy looked at Danny and knew he was uncomfortable and thought about how selfish she sounded. "You must be hungry," she said finally.

"I could eat," he said slowly as his stomach growled on cue.

"And you have been driving a long way," she said, "I totally pulled this on you at the last minute."

"Yes," Gwen called out from a couple of feet away, "yes, you did. He was nice enough to come out all this way on zero notice."

Mindy hung her head in shame and grabbed his arm. "Let's eat dinner," she said and she pulled him up the rest of the driveway, "but we leave first thing in the morning." She patted Danny's arm companionably, "Don't worry, I can drive back, if you want. I'm totally used to driving in the snow back in Massachusetts."

Gwen clapped her hands excitedly and ran into the house first to set up another dinner setting.

Mindy looked over at Danny anxiously before they entered the dining room. "I apologize in advance for my friends," she said.

Danny could hear boisterous talking, but as soon as he and Mindy stepped through the threshold the entire room was silent as six sets of eyes focused on him.

Carl, ever a gracious host, stood up to introduce himself and introduce the other guests. Rob and Sarah were both very blonde; he was a writer and she was a lawyer. Mitch was dark-haired and Dinah was Asian American and they both owned a business together. Dennis had light brown hair and was a finance guy and his girlfriend Geeta was a real estate agent. Lastly, there was Carl and Gwen. Danny waved, "Hi, everyone. I'm Danny."

The room immediately burst out with questions.

"How do you know Mindy?" Dinah asked.

"How long have you two been dating?" Dennis asked. He patted Geeta's hand reassuringly when she shot him a look.

"What do you do, Danny? Are you a doctor, like Mindy?" Rob asked.

Mindy held up her hands for silence. "Please, let's let the man settle in first." She cleared a space at the table for him next to her place setting and Gwen brought out an extra plate of food. All the couples had settled in along the edge of the table and he and Mindy had to share a space at the end of the table. He sat down next to Mindy and had the distinct feeling that everyone was staring down the length of the table at them. "Besides we're not dating," Mindy said as she picked up her fork. "We work together."

Danny saw Rob and Sarah exchange knowing looks.

"I've known Mindy since our residency years," Danny said.

"Too bad you aren't dating," Geeta said, but Dennis held up a hand to stop her. "I mean, because I don't know how fun the singles scene is when you're 35." Dennis cleared his throat.

Danny saw Mindy sink down a little in her chair.

"Well, 35 is a little old to go clubbing," Sarah said, "but I bet being single in New York is a lot of fun."

Mindy sank a little deeper in her chair.

"Yeah, marriage isn't so fun," Rob started, "I mean Dinah and I have been together forever and we go to bed at 10 o'clock most nights." Dinah laughed at that.

Mindy looked down at her plate of food. "Why don't we change the topic?" she said, trying to be cheerful.

"Whatever happened to that last guy, Evan?" Dinah asked. "The engineer?"

Danny looked over at Mindy. He knew that Evan had broken up with Mindy when he had gotten a cushier job in San Francisco and he did not think a long-distance relationship would work even though Mindy had been willing to give it a try. She was heartbroken and, right now, she looked deflated. No wonder she had called him to get her out of here. It was definitely lopsided conversation, not in Mindy's favor.

Danny interrupted, "He was a jerk." He successfully steered the conversation away and told the story of accompanying Mindy to buy Riley a pet goldfish and how it took over an hour for her to settle on the perfect one. By the end of dinner, he was telling everyone about what high school in Staten Island was like and everyone took turns telling embarrassing tales from when they were sixteen.

Mindy was astounded by how charming Danny could be and was a little jealous of how he was able to steer the conversation away from her love life and otherwise singlehood. As she glanced at him sitting next to her, she could not help notice how strong his jaw looked, how the silver hairs by his temples made him look very handsome, and how the soft laugh lines on his face made him look attractive. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. This was Danny from work, handsome jerk extraordinaire, and they had never crossed the line into a romantic relationship.

After dinner, Mindy helped Carl and Gwen clear the dishes. Danny had gone back to the car to grab an overnight bag. He always kept a bag with two changes of clothes and toiletries in this car just in case of an emergency. He also had a flashlight, batteries, and a first-aid kit.

When Carl offered to wash the dishes, Mindy and Gwen grabbed mugs of cocoa and went out onto the porch to chat.

"It was really nice of Danny to come all the way out here," Gwen began.

"Gwen," Mindy began, "not this again!" She knew where this conversation was headed.

"I'm just saying why not give him a shot?" Gwen asked. "He clearly cares for you. He drove all the way out here just because you asked."

Mindy shuffled her feet against the cold. It was starting to snow fairly heavily. "He's just a friend, Gwen. He's a really good friend, but that's it."

Gwen gave her a look. "You should ask him out."

Mindy looked into her mug. She had asked guys out before in the past, but it had always been guys she had just met and it felt very different with Danny. She had always made sure to nix the idea of a relationship with Danny before it began. "Not a good idea, Gwen. He's too old."

Gwen rolled her eyes. Carl was over ten years older than her and she never gave it a second thought. "Mindy, I feel like I should point out that he's only six or seven years older than you."

"That's like a generation these days," Mindy began.

Gwen put a hand on Mindy's arm. "Mindy, that's not such a big age difference."

Mindy nodded slowly. She had to admit that she and Danny were in the same generation and that he had dated much younger women in the past. She suddenly got the depressing feeling that she was getting too old, maybe even too old for Danny. He had never said or done anything romantic toward her and she did not want to ruin their work relationship. "But we work together," Mindy began.

"So do Mitch and Dinah and they're very happy together," Gwen countered.

Mindy nodded again and thought back to how everyone at dinner had laughed and Danny's jokes and how he asked everyone appropriately personal questions to open up conversation. He was confident enough to work a crowd and Mindy admired the nonchalant way he did it. Sometimes he was not a complete jerk.

Danny walked toward the house and, concealed by the wintry darkness, he could hear Mindy and Gwen's conversation drifting through the night even though they could not see him. He shifted the weight of his duffel bag between his hands and he tried to decide whether to eavesdrop or make his presence known. Just as he was about to call out, he heard Gwen solemnly ask a question.

"Do you like him?" Gwen asked.

Danny froze with his mouth open. This could be interesting.

"Of course, I like him," Mindy said quickly. She rarely ever let her mind wonder what she and Danny would be like as a couple and she always stopped herself before her fantasies got too far. She had to admit that they spent a lot of time together, but he had never even tried to kiss her. Although, to be fair, she had never tried to kiss him either.

"Then ask him to dinner," Gwen said decisively. She had been pushing this for the last two years and lately, Riley, had taken up the cause as well.

Mindy sighed. "Gwen, I don't think he's interested in me like that."

Gwen looked over at her friend. They had often had this conversation, but Mindy had never said anything about Danny being uninterested. "What do you mean?"

Mindy played with the handle on her mug. "I mean that I'm not his type." Gwen waited impatiently for her to elaborate. "I mean that his past girlfriends have been … you know, really hot, like skinny, pretty girls. And the last one was beautiful and young. Like 25 young."

Gwen's expression immediately turned to one of sympathy, "Mindy, you know you're gorgeous," she said.

Mindy nodded. "I know, Gwen," she said, "but it's just … different. It's just not the same." This conversation was putting her in a very self-defeating mood. She just wanted to go to bed. She was a self-confident woman, but some of Danny's past dates seemed to be in a different league. In addition, she could not find the words to adequately describe to Gwen why the prospect of her and Danny would not work.

Danny saw the defeated set of Mindy's shoulders and decided to make his presence known. "Hey, ladies," he said, "where should I put my bag?" He walked into the light of the porch.

"Hey, Danny," Gwen said too brightly, trying to cover the fact they had just been discussing him. "Um, do you mind taking Riley's room? She's at a birthday sleepover this weekend, but her room isn't too pink anymore."

Danny pulled a face. Riley had grown a lot since he first met her, but he was definitely uncomfortable sleeping in a twelve year old girl's room. "Can I just share with Mindy? Is that okay with you?"

Gwen looked over at a startled Mindy. "Yeah, sure," Mindy said. Her mind was racing to figure out how much of the conversation Danny had heard. "Come on, I'll show you where it is."

xxx

Danny threw his bag ungracefully in the chair in the bedroom. "This place is so swanky," he said as he flopped on the bed. "Gwen's probably got five bedrooms in this joint just like this room."

Mindy rolled her eyes. He said something like this every time she took him somewhere. "They probably do," she said.

"Anything to watch on TV?" Danny said flipping on the television. "I've had like ten cups of coffee and I'm not tired yet."

Mindy had brought her laptop and had a ton of romantic comedies available to watch. On first movie dates, she usually chose a drama/thriller with some action and romance thrown in just to let her date know that she was sophisticated and not obsessed with 'chick flicks.' She knew that most guys would probably be mortified at how much she actually liked them, but this was Danny and he knew all about her obsessions.

"Well, I do have my laptop with me," Mindy said.

"Great, set it up on the desk," he said. "I'm going to go brush my teeth."

"Okay," Mindy said slowly. She trolled through her selection and chose _You've Got Mail_.

When Danny came back into the room he was in sweats and a t-shirt. Mindy began to play the movie. She waited for him to complain about her choice of film. However, it never came. "What movie is this?"

"Danny, it's _You've Got Mail_ and you have to promise not to make rude comments during it."

Danny got comfortable under the covers. Mindy knew it was ridiculous for her to insist he sleep on the floor, but she was also uncomfortable with how comfortable he was with sharing a bed. "I won't, I promise," he said.

Mindy slowly sat down on her side of the bed when Danny patted it invitingly. Watching one of her favorite movies after a day and a half of hanging out with a house full of couples was Mindy's idea of a great night. It did not hurt that Danny was there too.

xxx


	2. Chapter 2: Spending Time with Danny

Note: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Only one more chapter to go.

Also, GoogleMaps also told me that the drive from New Paltz to New York is only 1.5 hours. Whoops! Let's blame the other four hours on the traffic leading in and out of the city.

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**Chapter 2: Spending Time with Danny**

Danny fell asleep within thirty minutes of Mindy starting the movie. She tried not to think about how almost sweet he looked when he was asleep and how he was snoring very softly. She actually thought it sounded more like a low buzzing. She remembered that he told her once when she woke him up in the doctor's lounge sofa that he only snored when he was very tired. She was filled with gratitude that he actually was here with her and all of her friends, even though he had told her multiple times in the past that country houses were for sissies. She slipped out from under the covers quietly to brush her teeth and wash her face.

By the time she returned, the movie is already on the part when Meg Ryan is at Fox Books to snoop around the business. Mindy loved this movie and she turned off the lights minus her bedside lamp and brought the laptop onto her lap for better viewing. She looked over to make sure that Danny was sleeping soundly. He grunted once, but then turned on this side and was still. She patted his shoulder affectionately and was soon engrossed with the movie, even though the laptop was at its lowest sound setting and she could barely hear the dialogue.

Danny woke up slowly as he felt something hot on his hip. He shifted to his other side, only to see Mindy intently staring at her laptop, which was now curiously on the bed, resting on his hip, and blowing a steady stream of hot air through his half of the blankets. She looked cute, hunched over with the screen's glare on her glasses, mouthing along with the words. He lost track of how long he was surreptitiously watching her with half-lidded eyes until he she sighed in contentment. He knew from countless viewings of _Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally_, and, once, _She's All That_ in the doctor's lounge, that her sigh, that particular sigh, meant that the movie was over. She was so sentimental about everything that Danny was surprised she was not crying.

"Movie's already over?" he asked with a scratchy voice. He saw Mindy startle and then quickly wipe her eyes under her glasses. So she had been crying, he knew it.

"Did I wake you?" she whispered. "Sorry, I was trying to be quiet." She was putting her laptop back on her desk and Danny noticed that during the time he had been asleep, she had put on her glasses and changed into a sleeveless pajama set. He had to admit that it was form-fitting and accentuated her lovely shape, but it was also covered in neon-bright ice cream cones, which lessened the sexy factor. She tugged upward on her top by her cleavage and Danny took that to mean that he should stop staring. She always felt awkward when Danny looked at her like that.

"Just get into bed," he said. He looked over at the clock, "it's almost one and we're going to be driving a long way in a couple of hours." Mindy gingerly climbed back into the bed, being careful to avoid touching his prostrate body, and began to fluff her pillow. Danny grumbled and pulled her into the bed and reached over her body to turn off the bedside lamp. Mindy could feel his bare arm and part of his soft t-shirt on her chest and his face was so close to hers, she could faintly smell his shampoo. If she turned just a little, they would be bumping noses. She could feel her pulse racing and ordered her body to calm down. This was Danny, a grumpy sleepy Danny who wanted the lights off. With the room sufficiently dark, Danny flipped the covers over her body.

As she lay there stiffly, she could tell Danny was not asleep yet. "Thanks for coming up here, Danny," she said into the darkness.

Danny shifted so he was on his side facing her and she could barely make out his profile in the dimness. "Your friends seem nice, but I can see why you'd want to leave." Mindy shivered as she felt his breath on her shoulder. "You need more blanket?" he asked. She felt him shifting the cover so she could have a larger portion. Gwen's earlier conversation flashed through her mind and she wondered why nothing had ever happened between her and Danny. She would never admit it so to him, but she did think Danny had a nice body and he probably had chest hair unlike all the male celebrities on the magazines.

"They want the best, but the best seems to involve being in a relationship," she whispered.

Not this conversation again. Danny was too tired to continue down this path. "Relax, go to sleep, you're great, don't worry," he muttered. With that, he threw his arm over her middle and put his head down on the pillow.

Mindy tried to think of something smart and sassy to say about him and making a move, but by the time she had something on the tip of her tongue, she could hear Danny's soft buzzing next to her.

xxx

Danny's internal clock woke him up at 6 o'clock sharp. He began to stretch his arms when he became conscious that one was pinned under a warm body. Mindy. She had her head on his chest and their legs were tangled. He had never been in such an intimate position with someone who was not a sexual partner. He saw how her long eyelashes fanned out on her face and how she was lightly drooling on his shirt. Her arm was draped over his abdomen and disappeared under the blanket. To Danny, she looked natural and appealing. He should wake her up immediately, but she was wriggling in her sleep and her soft body pressed against his was causing him to go from half-mast to almost full alert. He was a grown man and could enjoy himself a little longer, but then she made a small noise against his chest and suddenly he was aroused like a teenage boy. He started to shake Mindy's shoulder a little too roughly at first. This development was alarming.

Mindy woke up with her face pushed up against something warm. She snuggled into it some more before she realized where she was and that Danny was calling her name. She popped up so fast she would have clocked Danny in the nose if he had not quickly placed his hand on her head. "Oh my god, Danny. What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"It's six," he said as he slid his arm from under her.

"Please one more hour," Mindy pleaded. "This is ungodly early and it's so cold." She started to put her head down on the pillow when she saw Danny's shirt. There was a small wet spot and she knew exactly what it was. Mindy could not help the mortified express on her face. This was Danny, Danny Castellano, who she just drooled on and who was looking at her with wide eyes. "I am so sorry, Danny," she said with a grimace, "I'm a little old to be drooling." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I only do this when I'm really tired."

"I don't really mind," Danny said gesturing to his shirt, "It's a natural response for a lot of folks." He saw how pink her cheeks were and felt bad for waking her up. Her hair was rumpled with her lips pursed and he could tell she was about to go on about her humiliation and get dramatic about waking up next to each other. He had to change the subject. "Alright, one more hour of sleep and then we head out." He set his cell phone alarm for one hour.

Mindy opened and closed her mouth before she realized he was actually agreeing to sleeping in an extra hour with her. She smiled before she lay down and soon began to snuggle closer to Danny's warmth. "Danny, it is freezing and you're like a furnace!"

Mindy was wiggling again, but this time she was awake and knew exactly what she was doing. "Wait," Danny started and tried to prevent Mindy from getting too close, but he felt her halt the moment she felt his erection brush against her hip. He felt his ears get uncomfortably warm. Mindy told herself to calm down. It was only a penis. Penises can get erect in the mornings without any stimulation. And this was Danny.

It was normal. "Morning wood, right?" she said awkwardly, trying to sound nonchalant, "It's totally natural." With that she pulled the covers under her chin and closed her eyes for a blissful extra hour of sleep.

Danny looked over carefully at her already sleeping form. She always had to have the last word, even when she was only half awake.

xxx

Mindy slowly woke to the sound of Carl's voice being carried in from outside. "Touch is different from tackle, you know," she heard him say. It was still five minutes to seven and she was about to open the window to tell Carl to shut his hole, but then she heard Danny's lower voice, "I think got it. Let's play." She padded over to the window to see Carl and Danny playing football in the backyard or at least Carl was explaining the intricacies of touch football while Danny impatiently waited to throw the ball around. He was wearing track pants, a college sweatshirt, and sneakers. She knew that Carl had a tendency to over-explain and go on so she was mildly surprised at how Danny kept the exasperation out of his voice. He always seemed to have a particular irritated tone when he was talking to her.

She could see Dinah and Mitch standing nearby long with Gwen and Rob, who both held steaming mugs in their hands. She started to hurriedly get changed and ready to go outside. Apparently all the adults in the house woke up early except her. On her way out of the bedroom, she saw that Danny's bag was already neatly packed and sitting next to the door.

By the time she made her way outside, Sarah, Dennis, and Geeta were already there. "Morning," Dennis called out cheerfully. He had an arm around Geeta's waist and she waved in greeting. "We're trying to get a quick game going," Dennis said. "Carl's just going over the rules of two-hand touch."

"Morning workout for the boys," Geeta said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Mindy had gotten dressed to play in sneakers, a hoodie, and a puffy vest, but Geeta was already wearing a blouse with tight jeans and heeled boots. Mindy was hit with a pang of self-consciousness as she looked down at her comfortable jeans, but then resolved herself. "I'm trying to play too," she said. She looked over and saw that Gwen was also dressed nicely for the day, but she was relieved to see that Dinah was wearing running gear and warming up next to her husband.

Danny smiled when he saw Mindy walk out into the yard. He was relieved to see that she was dressed to play in sneakers and a sweatshirt. They needed an extra player and, although Rob had offered to play, he seemed reluctant.

"Mindy, you going to play?" Danny called out. "So far it's me, Carl, Dinah and Mitch, and Dennis. We need one more to round out the numbers."

"I'm definitely in," Mindy said. She might not know all the ins and outs of football, but she knew enough to be competent and she could feel her competitive nature start coursing through her. She wanted to play and she wanted to win.

"We only have two women on the teams so you two can cover each other," Carl began, but immediately cut off by two angry voices.

"No way!" Mindy cried, "Dinah's a college athlete, I'm on her team."

"Mindy and I are on the same team. I'm call one of the boys," Dinah said at the same time.

Danny saw that both women looked mutinous. Dinah and Mitch were in workout clothes and he noticed that Dinah already had strands of hair sticking to her forehead with well-worn sneakers on her feet. She and Mitch probably already went for a run this morning. They both looked like they would do healthy things like that together.

"I call Mindy," Danny said. She immediately mock glared at him and gave him a convoluted signal that involved a head nod, some clapping, and pounding her fist against her other open palm.

"What does that even mean?" Danny asked with a confused look.

"It means, 'you're going down, Castellano,'" she said. He rolled his eyes at her dramatics.

Carl looked affronted that his suggestion was shot down so quickly, but recovered by saying that Dinah could cover him instead and how he did not mean to imply that that the two women would have to play off each other. However, his high-minded speech was interrupted when Gwen called out, "Don't be too rough on him, Dinah!"

With the teams set at Mindy, Dinah, and Dennis against Danny, Carl, and Mitch, the teams seemed fairly evenly matched. Danny was glad that Dennis was on Mindy's team thereby eliminating any two-hand touching between them. He did not like the way Dennis's eyes lingered on Mindy when they sat down to dinner last night, especially since Geeta was constantly on his arm.

In the first play, Dinah intercepted a throw from her husband and positively blew past Carl on her way to a touchdown.

"Shit!" Danny shouted, "Where's your defense, Carl!" Carl did a couple of leg stretches and after a brief chat with Mitch, they switched positions. As the game progressed, two things became very obvious. First, the no-tackle rule was not being followed. Everyone except Carl and Dennis was covered in grass stains, melting snow, and mud. Second, Mindy made up for her lack of speed by playing smart and sneaky. She had successfully pulled a bait-and-switch and gotten tackled by Danny while Dinah successfully carried the ball to another touchdown. His team was losing. Badly.

When the football came his way, Danny tucked it under his arm and turned to make a dash for the other side of the field. With Dinah already down, Mindy and Dennis ran to tackle him, but Mindy was a lot closer. When he first felt her soft body try to tackle him, he tried to run through it, but she eventually brought him down by being deadweight with her arms in a strange bear hug around his middle. He landed on his side with a wad of Mindy's hair in his mouth. Mindy put her hands on his chest as pushed herself upright. "Are you okay?" she asked, extricating herself. Danny opened his mouth to respond, but was momentarily overcome by the memory of waking up to the feeling of her legs tangled between his.

Mindy did not wait for a response but stood up without offering him a hand and did some bizarre chicken dance complete with flailing arms. "Boo-yah!" she cried. When he got to his feet, she hip-checked him as she carried on with her victory jig.

By the end of the game, Danny's team lost, but a score could not be determined since Dinah and Mitch were still arguing over Carl's scorekeeping. Danny threw an arm around Mindy's shoulder as he walked inside to shower and get ready to leave. "Good game," he said somberly.

Mindy craned her head to look at him. "Not embarrassed to lose to the girls' team?" she said jokingly as he shook his head with a laugh.

"First of all, Dennis was on your team too. Second of all," Danny said, "you guys didn't have Carl on your team." Mindy giggled at that. "Anyway, you guys played better," he said casually.

Mindy beamed at him, happy and rosy-cheeked with a mud streak on her cheek. "I know," she said rubbing in her team's victory. She felt rather than saw Danny's eye-rolling. "You can be on my team next time," she promised.

xxx

Everyone was courteous enough to let Danny and Mindy shower first so they could get going. Danny stood patiently by the open passenger's side door as he waited for Mindy to finish her goodbyes. She had insisted on driving since he had driven up yesterday.

Geeta walked over and stopped right in front of him. "Mindy said that you were single and you seem like a nice guy," she handed him a business card. "This is my sister, Priya. You should give her a call sometime." Priya, the card said, was an assistant professor of history at a college in Connecticut.

Danny was flattered, but a little apprehensive. Blind dates never went well for him. "Thanks," he said simply and put the card in his pocket.

Mindy passed a retreating Geeta as she made her way to the car. "What's that about?" she asked.

"She told me to call her sister," he said as he got in and buckled his seatbelt. Mindy accelerated a little too roughly. She had always had a strange unspoken rivalry with Geeta ever since Dennis brought her to that Thanksgiving dinner. In Mindy's mind, Geeta was what Mindy 2.0 would look like. She swallowed hard as she thought about how Danny would look, walking hand in hand with Geeta's equally hot sister. She did not dwell on why she had the sensation of tightness in her chest, but she did vow to finally join the gym across the street from her apartment.

After multiple attempts to play car games failed, they traveled mostly in silence with Mindy pouting. The snow was picking up and Mindy pulled into a rest stop outside Newburgh.

"Why are we stopping?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Well, Danny," Mindy said, still miffed, "it's starting to snow heavily and I think we should wait it out."

Danny looked outside his window and just then noticed how heavily it was snowing. "You sure it's going to stop soon?" he asked.

"An hour tops," Mindy said confidently. It snowed like this in Concord, Massachusetts when she was a child and she could tell it was a short storm and not a blizzard.

"I'm hungry, where's the goody bag Gwen gave us?" he asked. Mindy passed over the brown paper bag.

There was a lot of rumpling paper until Danny broke the silence. "Gwen is awesome," he said as he pulled the snacks out of the bag she insisted they take for the long drive. When Danny and Mindy declined having her wash and dry their muddy clothes, she had also insisted that they take a garbage bag for their clothes so that his car seats stayed clean. "There's assorted nuts, multi-grain crackers, dried fruit, and two bottles of water," he recited as he pulled items out. He opened the bag of nuts and poured some into his mouth. "This is some high-dollar trail mix," he said with his mouth half full.

"Well, she's a mom," Mindy said, just a little wistfully. She thought about how Gwen bought all-organic stuff and how she made sure to pack Riley well-rounded lunches. She thought about how her own refrigerator currently held ketchup, a block of cheese, a bag of really old salad mix, and an empty Brita pitcher. She looked at Danny and smiled how he had the snacks distributed neatly along the center console, his lap, and the dashboard. His long fingers slowly began to put the uneaten snacks away. She remembered how gentle they were when he tried to give her that weird face massage during her failed gynecological exam. She wondered what they would feel like on her body as they traveled down her breasts then lower and lower. He would be kissing a path down toward her bellybutton and, as his hands caressed the side of her hips, she would run her hands through his thick hair, massaging his scalp.

"Mindy, earth to Mindy," Danny said, waving his hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her reverie and coughed to cover her dry mouth. "You hungry? I picked out the nuts since I know you only like the chocolate anyway." He held out a handful of M&Ms.

Mindy swallowed hard. He had remembered her diatribe about how she always got trail mix to be healthy but then always picked out the M&Ms, which would then inevitably lead to her tirade about how she should have just gotten M&Ms instead. She wanted to kiss him right then, but somehow, she was shy when it came to Danny and she tried to formulate a question she would be able to ask.

"Danny," she said, trying not to squirm. She grabbed a green M&M to stall for time. "Do you ever wonder why we never … you know, happened?" Her heart was beating so loudly she could no longer hear the traffic at the rest stop. She looked up in time to see Danny choke on his sip of water.

Mindy patted his back and he shot her an inquiring look. "Why do you ask?" he said carefully. In all their years as friends, lots of people had asked whether they were a couple and there were a couple of jokes at their expense, but Mindy had never brought it up with him in a serious manner. He remembered Mindy and Gwen's conversation last night and he gazed at her trying to determine her motive.

Mindy immediately lost all her nerve to continue the line of questioning. She was not prepared for her question to be met with another question. "Let's forget it, sorry I brought it up," she said. She fidgeted with the buttons on her sweater. She felt Danny's eyes on her and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"Do you think you'll call Geeta's sister?" she asked. She tried not to sound manic and perhaps jealous, but she could not help it. After a weekend of emotional turmoil, figuring out her burgeoning (or had it always been like this?) feelings toward Danny, and now being stuck in tight quarters, she could not stop herself from asking all the questions that jumbled around in her head. Gwen's voice telling her to 'ask him out' kept coming back to her.

Danny was wary of where this conversation was going. They had only been pulled over for twenty minutes. "Probably not," he said. "I wouldn't like it if my brother tried to set me with someone without my knowledge, so I'm thinking it's the same for everyone else. Blind dates never work."

Sometimes Danny made it seem like all his decisions were so easy and logical. "Oh," she said disappointedly. He had probably decided he and Mindy were not relationship material when they had first met. He did not seem like someone who changed minds easily.

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to?" he asked. She was always trying to push different women on him and he even asked some out, but such arrangements never worked out for him. He had not been in a serious long-term relationship since he had gotten divorced and that was almost a decade ago.

"No!" she cried.

Danny smirked knowingly.

"I mean, only if you want to," she said. She was going to make a smart comeback, something along the lines of 'You wish,' but now that she was legitimately thinking of asking him out, it seemed out of place.

She had to psych herself up if she was ever going to ask him. Why was this so difficult? She thought about how they had first met. He was still married then. She remembered how he was a couple of years further along in his residency than she was, but he was still one of the older students. Well, there were older students in the group who always came to happy hour, but Danny always seemed older, so serious and straightforward. He could never hang out because he had to 'get home to his family.' She had thought he had kids for over a year because of this. She had heard through the grapevine that he had gotten divorced after he had gotten hired at Shulman & Associates, but that his loner mentality and general crankiness was still there. After Dr. Shulman hired her, she and Danny did not get along and constantly sniped at each other. But after they became partners and after she began to drag a begrudging Danny out to various social events, they had become friends. Mindy thought back to how within the last year, he had become each other de facto dates to mutual social events.

"Danny," Mindy asked. She fought the urge to look down at her hands like a teenager. She was an independent and confident woman. "Would you be okay if I kissed you? Like an experiment to see if there's sparks, you know?" 'What a lame line,' she thought to herself, as she leaned over the center console and grabbed the lapels of his coat to bring him closer to her side of the car. He looked surprised, but did not fight her actions. Mindy was overcome by how startlingly sincere her anticipation was, and to kiss Danny, of all people. When their faces were inches apart and Mindy was starting to close her eyes in eagerness, Danny's eyes darted over her shoulder.

"Mindy, I would love to continue this 'experiment,' but this is not the time," he said softly. Mindy could feel his breath on her cheek and she could smell the faint smell of his cologne, laundry detergent, and something distinctly masculine. He leaned back a little and put his hands gently on her shoulders to maintain the distance.

Mindy pulled back quickly, breaking the contact of his hands on her body. She could not remember the last time she was so keenly disappointed. She grabbed his hand and plucked up all the M&Ms he was still holding. "You don't have to be such a jerk," she muttered around a mouthful of chocolate. "You could have just said 'No thanks, not interested.'" After all that inner dialogue about telling Danny that she might be attracted to him, he was the one not interested.

He looked out the window and then back at Mindy. She was hunched over in her seat, facing him, and refused to make eye contact with him. "Hey," he said rubbing her arm. She hated that they gotten to a point where casual touching was acceptable. "I didn't say I'm not interested. I said 'This isn't a good time.'" Mindy started to protest when he covertly pointed over her shoulder, "We have an audience."

Mindy whipped around so quickly that Danny had to pull away to avoid being slapped by her hair a second time. She dropped a couple of M&Ms in the process. At some point, a minivan had parked to the left of their car and currently a handful of little girls had their hands and faces pressed up to the windows to peer into their car. Immediately, Mindy's heart softened and she giggled when the girls looked away in unison, embarrassed at being caught peeking. The minivan was probably waiting out the snowfall just like them. "They're probably jealous of our snacks," she said quickly and nudged Danny's shoulder. "You should go offer them some."

Danny wanted to say that they were probably more interested in the kissing that they thought they were going to see, but held his tongue. "Nope," he said instead, "A grown man offering little girls candy from a weird bag," he shook his head, "is not a good idea."

She looked over at the bag of snacks, grabbed them, and resolutely opened her door. "Are you at least going to come with me?" she asked. "What if the mom is like a crazed psycho killer?"

Danny rolled his eyes. He could see the beleaguered woman sitting the driver's seat of the mini-van. She was thin and petite, and looked like she was nursing a terrible headache. "She is not a killer, look at her! She has like five little kids in that car with her! Besides, you look like you could take her," he said confidently.

She gave him a glare as she stepped out of the car and slammed the car door. Danny groaned as he followed her toward the minivan. He stood awkwardly next to her as she rapped briskly at the driver's side window.

"Hi, I'm Mindy," she said cheerfully as the woman opened the door. She gestured toward Danny, "And this is Danny."

The sounds of excited chattering stopped as the woman turned around to shush all the girls in the back. Mindy noticed that they were all wearing girl scouts uniforms. She remembered her girl scout days with fondness and she loved the cookies. If she remembered her uniforms correctly, these girls were Brownies.

"I'm Gloria," the woman said tiredly, pushing her dark hair behind her ear, "Were the girls bothering you? We just needed a minute to wait out the snow and the girls are a little excited from their meeting."

Danny zoned out for a second and by that time Mindy and Gloria were deep in conversation. After Mindy assured her that she and Danny were doctors and that the crackers and dried fruit were in their original unopened plastic wrappings, Gloria accepted them and distributed them to her passengers. "Thank you," she said gratefully, "The store here is closed and they've been complaining about snacks the whole ride down."

Mindy was soon engrossed in conversation with the girls and Danny shuffled from one foot to other awkwardly. He never knew what to do in these situations. He heard the two women exchange addresses. 'Now she's made another best friend,' he thought. He saw how the little girls 'oohed' and 'aahed' at Mindy's nameplate necklace. 'Maybe six new best friends,' he corrected himself. At least the snow was letting up finally. He was startled out of his thoughts when Mindy pushed at his shoulder. "Danny, do you have any cash? I'm trying to buy some cookies and I don't have my checkbook with me." She had her open wallet in her hand. "And I only have $2 and change."

Danny patted his pockets. "I must have left my billfold in the car," he said as he walked back to his SUV.

"Aww," Gloria said, "My father used to call it a billfold." He heard Mindy immediately launch into how he was an old old man at heart. As he dug through his bag, he could hear Gloria ask Mindy how long she and Danny had been married. He chuckled softly as he heard Mindy haltingly explain that they were just friends.

"OK," he said when he returned, "I have a ten."

Mindy looked incredulous. "I told those girls I'd buy three boxes from each. That's fifteen boxes at $4 each!"

Danny was shocked at her admission, but gamely opened his wallet again. He had a fifty dollar bill that he kept in a hidden pocket for emergencies. He pulled that out and held it out with his original ten. "$60 for cookies," he said with a shake of his head.

Mindy clapped excitedly as she handed the money over to Gloria. Apparently, they had already exchanged addresses and they lived not too far from each other. "You have to support the girl scouts, Danny," she said. "I was a girl scout as a kid." Gloria promised that the girls would stop by Shulman & Associates to drop them off in a couple of weeks.

Danny smiled at how happy Mindy was and pictured a little Mindy in a girl scout uniform. He had seen an old family photo in her apartment and he recalled a chubby girl with coke-bottle glasses with crooked teeth and blunt-cut bangs. It was not difficult to imagine that little girl was also a girl scout.

As they got back into the SUV and the minivan pulled out, Danny offered to drive back because he knew how much Mindy disliked driving within the city limits.

"I promise I'll pay you back," Mindy said as she got into the passenger side. "But they were all so cute and-"

Danny pulled out onto the highway. "Don't worry about it," he groused. "Support the girl scouts and all that, right?" He had never personally spent $60 on snacks, but was not surprised that Mindy would. She could probably spend more than that on nail polish.

"Danny," Mindy said, patting one of his hands on the steering wheel. "Thank you. You're such a teddy bear under all that grouchy, I-hate-everything exterior. You saw how excited those girls were to make a sale." Mindy thought back to her cookie-selling days. "It's the best feeling ever," she recalled.

Danny wanted to tell her that he technically bought them for her and that she was just as excited to be buying the cookies as those little girls were to sell them. Before he could, he felt something crunch under his foot. It was an M&M. "Now there's chocolate all smashed into the upholstery," he grumbled instead. "And how does a grown woman only have $2 in her wallet?"

Mindy smiled as she crossed her arms in front of her sweater. "Teddy bear," she said.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3: Back in the City

**Chapter 3: Back in the City**

Mindy could not help overanalyzing what Danny had said. 'I didn't say I wasn't interested.' What did that mean? She could not make a move on him again. Not after how horrible it was when he pulled away from her before they could kiss. Did he not want to kiss her? Was it just the gaggle of peeping-toms in the minivan next door? She had to stop thinking of this. She looked over at Danny, who was driving silently with his eyes on the road. She knew that when she was driving, she liked her passenger to help navigate and keep her peppy by singing or playing games. However, as a passenger, Mindy could not help feeling sleepy as the rolling car slowly rocked her to sleep. She was exhausted from the weekend and playing sports so early in the morning. Even as she was shutting her eyes, she cursed herself for not being a better car buddy.

Danny glanced over as they hit traffic getting into the city. Mindy was sound asleep, curled into a half ball facing him. He thought of waking her, but decided against it since he knew where she lived and could drop her off. Besides, he wanted time to think about their almost kiss. He wanted to. He really did. It was disturbing how much he did. He hoped she had not been deterred. She looked so sweet and eager as she pulled on his coat and closed her eyes. Then remembered how horrified she looked as he pulled away. Sometimes he wished he could just go with the flow, car full of children be damned. As much as Mindy griped about his practicality, Danny wanted their first kiss to occur when her eyes were shining and laughing after they had a moment. 'A moment?' he thought. Clearly, Mindy's romantic notions were infiltrating his mind.

"Danny?" Mindy asked with a yawn. "Are we home yet?"

It sounded like she was referring their home, something they shared together. It made him thoughtful of a time when he did share a home with someone. "Uh, no," he said, "but we'll be by your apartment in a minute."

Mindy immediately perked up. "You didn't have to drive me all the way back to my apartment," she said.

Danny did not answer as he turned onto her block. He could see that there were no spots available. He turned into a grossly overpriced parking garage on the next block. "Hope you don't mind a little bit of a walk."

"No, it's fine," she said unbuckling her seatbelt. She hesitated when she realized she wanted to invite him up to her apartment. She pursed her lips, urging them to ask the question.

"Do you want to come up to my apartment for a little bit?" she asked in a rush.

"You wish, Lahiri," he said with a smile.

Mindy's face fell. This was a perfectly Danny-esque response, but somehow, his comments seemed to sting right now at this moment.

"But I'll walk you to your place because," Danny said as he grabbed the plastic bag filled with their muddy clothes, "you got to do these."

Mindy made a disgusted face, but they smiled at each other and Mindy started laughing.

The walked amiably, shoulder to shoulder, to her building, but the atmosphere became uncomfortable when they got to her front door. They stood there, Mindy unsure and Danny hesitant. He could not invite himself up so Danny passed her the bag of clothes and started to say his goodbye as he turned to leave.

"Wait," Mindy said with a hand on his arm. "Do you want to come up for coffee?" She tried not to sound too hopeful. "Or cocoa."

She stood there, holding a garbage bag of laundry, and looked so expectant, he could not say no. "Sure," he said as he took the bag from as he passed into the hallway. "But I don't drink hot chocolate."

Mindy rolled her eyes as she followed behind him to the elevator. "Real men drink coffee and only coffee and it's got to be black, no sugar no milk," she said in her best Danny voice.

With that quip, they were back to their easy banter. When they got to her kitchen, Danny sat down by the island as she searched for coffee and hot chocolate fixings. When he saw her take out strange appliances from her cabinets, he got up to stand next to her. "What are you doing?"

Mindy turned around in surprise. He was standing so close and staring at the gadget in her hands. "It's a milk frother," she said excitedly, "It makes the milk all foamy and delicious. I like it in cocoa. Don't worry, I'll put some on your coffee for you."

Danny grimaced. Even though she made fun of him, he did drink his coffee black and definitely without frothed milk. "None for me, thanks," he said. He looked over at the side of the refrigerator next to Mindy's head. He saw the wooden block magnets that held up her grocery list and other papers. You could not see that side of her fridge from most areas in the room except when you stood directly next to it. They spelled out M-I-N-D-Y. He had made and given them to her for office Secret Santa a couple of years ago.

"Hey," he said with a smile, "you kept these." He did not tell her that he had spent a good portion of his free time in his office whittling into the blocks. He did not tell her how disappointed he was when she had not displayed them in her apartment. He did not expect her to make is a centerpiece or something, but did want to see them on her fridge. He knew she liked brightly-colored things, but he liked the wood as is. He told himself this train of thought was foolish.

"Of course, I kept them. They're the nicest homemade gift I've ever gotten. Jeremy was mad you didn't make a set for him," she said, standing next to the fridge, fingering the 'I' block. "They're the strongest magnets I have too." She pointed to the 'Y' that was currently holding all her outgoing mail, stamped and ready for the post office. She remembered how awed she was when she got them. She could tell that Danny had made them, but in the good way. Where the letters were slightly off-center and, while she had previous magnets that had shattered or fallen apart, these wooden magnets did not. She remembered with a cringe how she had initially made a joke about Danny's stinginess when the gifts had been exchanged. They were sturdily made and each letter was intricately carved in different fonts. When she realized she could use them to hold all her credit card payments, she began to display them prominently on the front of her fridge until the ribbing about her wood-working boyfriend got to be too much and she moved them off to the side. She bet that Danny had a lot of hidden talents, many involving arts and crafts.

He watched as she absent-mindedly looked at the magnets with a weird smile on her face. Danny stared down at her and he put his cup of coffee down. She followed the movement with her eyes and startled when he took her mug and set it down next to his coffee. He brushed the milk off her upper lip and leaned in for a kiss. Her lips were soft and supple and he rubbed his hand behind her neck. Mindy leaned back against her cabinets and braced her arms against the counter. She slowly brought her arms up to Danny's shoulders. She moaned softly as she felt Danny slowly and inexorably pressed her into the counter with his body. He definitely had better moves than she did. He did not try the whole 'it'll be an experiment' thing. He wanted to kiss her at that moment, standing by the magnets he made her, and he did.

His hands slowly skimmed down her arms until they were by her waist and slowly, so slowly, brushed the side of her breasts. He kissed a path down her neck. She felt so good. She smoothed her palms down his back and felt his shoulders undulate as his hands moved down to her hips. He had a very nice back. She started to pull up on the hem of his t-shirt and dragged her hand underneath.

Danny slowly moved his hand under her shirts until he was grazing the skin directly above her belt. "Is this okay?" he asked. Mindy nodded her head. They were moving fast. She had only started to analyze her feelings about Danny, but everything felt so good that she tried not to think about the consequences. She tried with shaking hands to try and unbuckle her belt. She silently cursed the jeans she was wearing. They were too tight and stretchy on the legs, but were slightly too big around her waist and she found herself only wearing them with thick belts to keep them secured and long shirts to cover any muffin-topping. Apparently Danny was impatient because he started to unbuckle it himself. He slowly slid his hand under the top of her jeans until he was brushing the top hem of her underwear.

The fuzzy side of Mindy's brain told her that they should slow down, but then he said, "I've wanted to touch you like this for a while," as he kissed her again and she gave up rational thought. She wanted this and did not want him to stop.

She felt herself automatically acquiescing to his hands and she fluttered her hands between his shoulders and upper arms as she felt his hand creeping lower and under the waistband of her panties until she was panting and trying to stifle embarrassingly eager noises. Her hips bucked forward and she thought of how long it had been since she had been touched like this. His fingers moved methodically and she found herself in a strange trace where she could not tear her eyes away from Danny's. When she could not see straight anymore, she slowly rested her forehead on his chest on top of his white t-shirt and ran her fingers through the hair on the back of his head. She nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"Danny, I-" Mindy started in hoarse voice but she was interrupted.

"Why are you wearing so many layers?" Danny asked in exasperation, trying to unbutton her sweater. He had quickly run out of clothes after the football game and he was only wearing a white under t-shirt under his coat and he had taken that off shortly after they got to her apartment. Mindy, on the other hand, was still wearing a sweater with layered shirts underneath. Mindy did not like how he was pulling and stretching out her cute sweater. She slowly took his hands and moved them out of the way. Suddenly, after all that earlier insecurity, she was feeling confident and powerful. She held Danny's gaze as she slowly undid the remaining buttons and peeled off her layers until she was just in her plain beige bra. She lifted her chin, daring him to say something about her layers now. Danny did not break eye contact as he said, "That was ridiculously sexy." He slowly ground his hips against hers and Mindy savored the delicious friction.

"Let's go to the bedroom," he said. Mindy nodded. She did not know when she lost her ability to speak, especially since she usually had difficulty keeping her mouth shut. She shakily grabbed her shirts and held them to her chest as she led the way to her room. She stood at the foot of her bed and watched as Danny gently closed the doors. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with all the crazy things that could go wrong in this situation. Previously, she had dealt with cheaters, commitment-phobes, and all manner of jerks. Things could turn sour and then Mindy would be stuck with him as a co-partner and colleague.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked. He had taken off his shirt and saw Mindy standing there, staring appreciatively at his chest, but clutching her shirt to her bra and looking like a deer in the headlights.

Danny always had a tone in his voice that made her feel ridiculous. Usually she plowed through her feelings of insecurity with a sassy remark, but they were both half-naked in her bedroom now. "You're going to think I'm silly," Mindy began.

"Just say it," Danny said. "You'll just drive yourself crazy thinking about it later. I can see that you're doing it right now." He looked at her wide-eyed expression and could see that she was contemplating what to say.

Mindy cursed him for knowing her so well. She should have just jumped his bones in her kitchen without a second thought. Her head was swimming with thoughts. Had Danny ever had an STD? But Danny was a doctor, he would have disclosed that information to her. What if he thought her breasts were too small and hips too wide? He did not seem to have a problem when they were in the kitchen and he did call her sexy. What if this was going to be a one-night stand? Mindy had no idea about this one, but Danny knew that one-night stands were something she could not do. It had been a while since Mindy had been intimate with a partner, what if she was rusty? Mindy knew that this was a particularly silly one, but she could not help but be a little nervous.

"What if-" Mindy started, but she was cut off by the shrill ringing of someone's cell phone. She clutched her shirts tighter to her chest. She could not decide if she was relieved or incredibly disappointed.

Danny groaned as he opened her bedroom door. It had seemed less than a second ago he had closed the door, ready to rip off Mindy's clothes, but now he was not so sure. "It's mine," he grumbled and he started to look for his coat. "That's the ring for the hospital," he said, scanning her living room. She wanted to point out that he was still shirtless, but he seemed busy frantically searching through his coat pockets. Besides, he looked good shirtless. He grabbed his phone to answer the call.

"It's Mrs. Horowitz," Danny said as he put his phone in the pocket of his jeans. "She's just been admitted to the hospital." He looked at her sheepishly. He definitely wanted to pick up where they had left off, but he also did not want to run out on her.

Mindy had recalled him telling her that he was worried about this particular patient. "She's the one you've been watching, right?" Mindy said.

"Sounds like preeclampsia," he said as he rattled off her symptoms.

Mindy froze. That was serious and she dropped her shirts and got to work looking for Danny's. "You need to go right away!" She found his shirt by her bed and threw it at him. "You should take a taxi to save time. I can drive your car back to your garage. The one by me is crazy expensive. Just leave the keys and let me know where to drop it off."

Danny was shocked at the change in her demeanor. He swore she was going to tell him that they were moving too fast. Her freaked out expression, not to mention her second thoughts after they got to the bedroom, seemed to confirm it, but now she was all business. He thought she looked adorable, still in her bra with her bright colored panties peeking out of her unbuckled jeans, barking instructions at him.

He snapped out of his reverie when he saw Mindy tapping her foot with her hand extended. "Yeah, the keys," he said absentmindedly as he fished around in his coat once more. At least all of his clothes were on now.

"Can we continue this another time?" he asked as he headed for her front door. He saw Mindy's eyes sharpen suspiciously.

"Is this going to be just a 'bedroom date?'" she asked in a rush, trying to sound flippant. "Because it's okay if it is. I just want to know now." Danny started to respond. "But you can't ignore me at work afterward," Mindy interrupted.

"Wait … what?" Danny stuttered as tried to comprehend what she was saying. "I meant like dinner later this week … or something," he finished lamely.

Mindy beamed at him. "Of course," she said quickly. "Danny, you don't have time for this," she said.

"What? You're the one who-" he began. "Besides, when have I ever been able to ignore you at work? I've been trying for years."

Mindy rolled her eyes as she ushered him toward the doorway. "No time for rude jokes. I'm free after Wednesday this week," she said as she threw open her door.

He stepped into the hall and noticed that a delivery boy was about to ring the bell for her neighbor across the hall. The young man stopped to glance at Mindy appreciatively. Danny immediately stepped in front of Mindy to hide the fact that she was still in her bra and that her pants were still loose and hanging off her hips. She was too busy kicking him out of her apartment to notice that she was still essentially half-naked. Danny gave her a quick, hard kiss and whispered, "Mindy, you need a shirt."

Mindy yelped as she brought at arm over her breasts and promptly slammed the door in his face. "Tell me how the delivery goes!" she called out.

Mindy leaned against her now shut door and smiled as she heard Danny's receding voice say, "Eyes to yourself, buddy."

xxx

Mindy woke up unnaturally early on Monday morning. She had a procedure scheduled at 11 o'clock, but she wanted to get dressed, return Danny's car, and drop off her Thank You orchid at his apartment before heading straight to the hospital. She contemplated whether showing up at Danny's place was a good idea or not. He did say that he hated taking the subway with them. She eyed her phone as she decided whether to call Gwen or Alex or Maggie for advice. As she was about to hit dial, she stopped herself. She was over thinking this. 'Just do it,' she told herself. She was just a friend, dropping off a gift, at another friend's apartment.

She meticulously picked out her outfit. She chose a plaid skirt that complimented her butt and an oxford button-down. She added a bright cardigan to keep from looking too preppy. She quickly did her makeup and opted to wear her contacts even though she would have to switch to her glasses when she got to the hospital. It was a good thing she kept a set of travel toiletries in her locker.

After checking herself in the mirror, she grabbed Danny's car keys and trotted out the door. She did not want to chicken out and go back to bed for a couple of hours instead so she felt compelled to half jog until she got onto the sidewalk in front of her building. She went to buy the orchid first since the florist she liked was around the corner from her apartment.

"Good morning, Sayed," she called as she walked into the flower shop.

"Good morning, Dr. Mindy," he said cheerfully. "What can I do for you?" He was hanging a beautiful display of flowery ferns from ceiling hooks.

"You can just call me Mindy," she laughed. He had called her Dr. Mindy ever since she let him know she was a doctor. This also meant she had to deal with sometimes uncomfortable questions about his medical problems. One time he cornered her to ask her about whether the swelling in his foot was gout.

She perused his orchid section and immediately settled on the bright purple blooms with darker purple spots. "I'll take this one, please," she said placing the orchid on the counter. She looked at the colorful pot it sat in. She knew that Sayed chose each pot for each plant and carefully groomed them into perfection. Today, she chose a pot with a colorful ikat pattern. She was willing to pay extra just for the colorful designs.

"Who should I make the card out to?" he asked as he pulled a cute card from his display.

"'To Danny, Thanks, from Mindy,'" she said succinctly.

"Danny again, huh?" Sayed said with a smug smile. He took her credit card and rang up her purchase.

Mindy felt her face flush as she grabbed the receipt to sign. "He's a good friend and I always give thank you cards or gifts," she said. She tried not to sound so defensive, but after the pep talk she had given herself that morning, she could not help it.

Sayed looked stricken. "Dr. Mindy, I did not mean it like that! I just-" he stammered. "It is very good manners to give thank you cards." He handed her the orchid, but then took out a spool of ribbon to wrap around the stem in apology.

"I'm sorry," Mindy said as she took her beautiful purchase from the counter. "I'm having a weird morning."

"He will love it," Sayed called out as she headed out the door.

Mindy next debated whether she should grab some breakfast baked goods to bring to Danny, but as she juggled the car keys and the orchid, she thought against it. She would rather not drop all of her purchases as walked to his building. With that settled, she quickly drove to Danny's garage as she tried mentally rehearsing what she was going to say.

By the time she approached Danny's apartment, with the orchid securely in her arms, she had decided on either 'Just dropping these off' and 'Want to grab breakfast?' after wildly oscillating between 'Let's get naked' and a simple 'Good morning.' She sometimes wished she was wittier and flirtier, but that would have to do.

She was surprised to see that Danny lived in a building with a doorman. She had to cajole him into letting her surprise Danny instead of having the front desk call him to confirm a visitor. After trying to bribe Sal, who she found out had three kids and a wife in Queens, with breakfast pastries, he finally gave up with a laugh. "Alright, Mindy," he said sternly. "Just this once. I guess I wouldn't mind getting flowers from a pretty lady before work," he said with a friendly wink.

"Oh, Sal, thank you!" Mindy said with a sigh of relief. "You let me know if you like cheese or fruit danishes better, okay?"

"Cheese," Sal said without missing a beat as he gestured toward the elevators.

Mindy took a deep breath for courage as the elevator doors opened at Danny's floor. This is not a big deal, she told herself. Maybe she was being too eager, after all, she had seen him last night. But she did not want him to have to pay for parking by her apartment. She was technically saving him money.

Mindy sharply knocked on Danny's door. She heard him walk to the door and look through the peephole. The door opened suddenly and Danny was standing there, dressed for the day but with wet hair. He stood in the foot-wide crack in the door so she could not see past him. "What are you doing here? How did you get past Sal?"

Suddenly, the flirty banter she had decided on went out the window. "Well, good morning to you too, grumpy," she said. She gestured to the orchid. "I just wanted to bring you this as a thank you and drop off your car keys." She held out the keys expectantly.

Danny just stared at her.

"This is the part when you invite me inside for some coffee before I head off to the hospital," Mindy said curtly. 'Way to be flirty,' she told herself. There was nothing more awkward than standing out in someone's hallway, waiting to be let in.

Danny peeked behind his shoulder into his apartment and gave Mindy a panicked look. "I don't think it's a good idea, Mindy."

Danny was red in the face and fidgeting in his doorway. What was wrong with him? "I don't care if it's messy," she said breezily.

Danny looked indignant. "I am not messy," he said. He looked back into his apartment, as if he was checking, and then back and Mindy. They stared at each other awkwardly. Mindy noticed that he was sweating. At first she attributed it to his hair being wet, but she could see the perspiration at his temples.

Mindy suddenly had the sinking realization that he must have a visitor inside. Probably from a bedroom date. There was no other reason for him to keep her standing out in his hallway. She felt very sick and tired. He had kissed her yesterday and had already found another woman. Maybe he had a secret girlfriend. She had seen how easily he got dates sometimes, especially when he stopped being a jerk and pretended to be charming.

She took a step away from Danny. "Oh, I see," she asked quietly. She awkwardly bent down in her skirt to place the orchid on Danny's worn welcome mat. She was so glad she had decided to forgo getting breakfast croissants.

Danny saw how ashen she suddenly looked and how her voice had taken a pinched quality. "Mindy," he began. He fiddled with his doorknob.

"Danny," she said haltingly, "you clearly have a visitor and this was a terrible idea, me coming here. I should have called. Sorry." She walked back toward the elevator and pressed down. She felt so foolish and unbelievably disheartened as she waited for the elevator. She could feel her eyes burning, but she refused to cry. She was saving her tears for ASPCA commercials, heartwarming scenes involving children, and Tom Hanks. She knew she should have called one of her friends to talk her out of this idea. Showing up at a guy's apartment, half a week before a date, was never a good idea.

Danny was floored by how many emotions coursed through him. He was flattered that she thought he had a female guest, but was also disappointed by how she thought he would string along two women at the same time. He was touched by how distressed she looked, but now he knew with a sinking feeling that he had to let her into his apartment.

"I saw you less than twelve hours ago, when would I have had the time to-" He stopped when he saw her hurt expression.

"I don't know!" Mindy said. "Maybe your phone is full of potential booty calls." She punched the elevator button viciously. Her heels made it impossible for her to make a quick getaway on the stairs so now she was stuck. Waiting in the hallway and pretending to ignore Danny as he walked toward her. At least he was fully dressed.

"I don't do 'booty calls,'" Danny said distastefully, leading her back toward his apartment by her arm. "Just hurry up and promise not to tell anyone at work about my place." She felt immensely better temporarily, but was still suspicious.

At another time, Mindy would have poked fun at how old he sounded or about how rude he was being, dragging her by a firm grip on her arm, but right now, she was pleased that Danny was not interested in semi-anonymous casual sex and that he was leading her into his apartment. As she paused at his doorway, she heard the elevator doors open with a ding. She hated elevators. They never came when you needed them. She thought about making a run for it when she felt Danny tighten his grip. He was going to put a sweaty palm stain on her sweater if he kept that up.

"The elevator's already gone," he said as she heard the elevator doors ding closed.

"I don't want to be in here if you don't want me to," Mindy asked tentatively in the doorway. Danny just pulled her into his apartment in response.

It was a lot bigger than Mindy had expected. The walls were mostly bare and the whole apartment was decorated in mute blues and browns. The place looked clinical and spotless, much less smoky than she had imagined. Mindy opened her mouth to make fun of his antiquated TV and old man sense of decoration when she saw them. She had to step all the way into his living to see them.

Lined up on the window sill at the far side of his living room were six or seven orchids, sitting in unique and colorful pots. It was essentially the only color in his whole apartment. He kept the orchids she got him in the past. If this was not a declaration of love, crotchety as Danny may be, she did not know what would be.

"Are these the orchids I got you?" Mindy asked reverently. She stared at the display he had created. She walked up to it and caressed some of the blooms.

"Yeah," Danny said sullenly. He was fidgeting with his cuffs of his shirt. He knew this was going to happen. This was why he had always picked her up at her apartment. "The first one died," he said, trying to joke it off.

His tone of voice did not deter her. "Is this why you didn't want me to come inside?" Mindy asked.

"A little," Danny said. "That and you were going to tell the whole office about it," he said jokingly.

Mindy was not going to ruin the moment by laughing at Danny's lame jokes.

"Some of these are like five years old," she said. "I couldn't even get that cactus to live for a year, how did you-?" She answered her own question as she picked up a hardcover book on orchid care half-hidden behind his curtains. She picked it up and held it out in front of her.

"Oh my god," Mindy breathed. He had gotten a book on orchid care. The pages were worn and there were a couple of dog-eared pages. She flipped through to see dirty fingerprints on certain pages. Danny had taken up orchid gardening.

"This is embarrassing, Mindy," he said, rubbing his neck and looking at his watch. He should have just let her think he had a woman in his apartment.

Mindy placed the book down as she looked through the blooms again. "This is the most romantic thing that has ever happened to me." Her eyes were shining, but she had a big smile on her face.

"Mindy," Danny said in warning as he avoided her gaze.

"Danny," she said mockingly. If she was having doubts the night before, she was now overwhelmed with confidence. She sauntered over to him, looking uncomfortable and sweaty. She threw herself onto him, bear hugging him as he struggled. She started peppering his face with kisses, not caring if she smeared the cute shade of lipstick she had chosen for the day. He eventually gave up and wrapped his arms around her and tried to reciprocate her lightning fast pecks.

He squirmed in her hug. "Can you please-? I can't-" he said. He finally grabbed her chin and kissed her properly and when she tried to protest he used the momentum to deepen the kiss. She felt his hand smooth down her back as he slowly pulled her even closer and she subconsciously began to unbutton and untuck his shirt to run her hands underneath.

When she finally pulled back, she noticed three things. One, Danny looked deliciously disheveled, shirt askew and damp hair standing on end. Two, his face was covered in lipstick. Three, and most surprisingly, he had a goofy grin on his face and did not seem to mind about points one and two.

He longingly caressed her hip as he said, "I got to be at the office soon and you're three days early for our dinner date."

Mindy giggled. "I got to be at the hospital by eleven," she said. As she leaned in for another kiss, Danny pulled back questioningly.

"Then why are you dressed up for the office?" Danny gestured to her tight plaid skirt, tights, and oxblood pumps.

Mindy would never admit how much time and effort when into choosing her outfit this morning. "I wanted to look nice," she said, trying to sound sassy, as if to imply her gorgeousness was an act of heavenly spontaneity.

It was a little thing, but Danny was immensely pleased that she would purposefully dress nicely just to see him when she had to change into scrubs in three hours. He debated whether he wanted to usher Mindy into his bedroom or take the situation more slowly. He did not want a quickie before they both had to head to work.

"Let's get breakfast," Danny said. "I know a great diner down the street with amazing waffles." He started to tuck his shirt back into his slacks. "And we can talk about where you want to have dinner. Maybe you could just come here and I'll make dinner for us."

Mindy smiled as she helped him button his shirt and wipe the lipstick off his face. "You had me at 'waffles,'" she said slowly. "Also, you cook?" She liked the idea of having a homemade meal at his apartment and she was already plotting to bring an overnight bag. Less distance from the meal to the bedroom. Although she was disappointed they were not already in his bedroom now, she knew herself and she knew she would want to spend all day in bed with him and she was not going to be late for her procedure.

"Of course," Danny said as he brushed her hands from his face. "Real men know how to cook." He pulled Mindy in for one last kiss and they headed out the door. They ended up kissing again waiting for the elevators.

By the time they made it to the lobby, both Mindy and Danny's hair had seen better days. They walked shoulder to shoulder as they approached the front desk.

"Morning, Sal," Danny said as they approached the front doors.

Sal was standing and straightening his hat. "This one's a peach, Danny," Sal said pointing to Mindy and winking and they passed by.

"Cheese danish," Mindy called out. "I'll probably get him two," she whispered to Danny. "Does the diner have good danishes?"

Danny grabbed her hand as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Are you best friends with my doorman now?" he asked. "Unbelievable," he said shaking his head. He droned on about the security of the building and how attractive women should not be held to a different standard than the delivery guys, but Mindy was not listening. She was savoring the sensation of his calloused hand gripping hers as they walk to the diner and cherishing the fact she knew that deep down in Danny's curmudgeonly exterior, he was a romantic at heart.

"Are you listening to me?" he asked with a nudge.

"Nope," Mindy said with a serene smile.

* * *

Note: It was so difficult to write this chapter and it's because I can't write sexy scenes. I didn't originally have Danny getting the call from the hospital, but that whole section before was horrible. I'll leave that to the talented fanfic writers who do it so well.

Thanks for all the reviews everyone and I hope you enjoyed!


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